The Invisible Ghost
Cast & Crew
Joseph H. Lewis
Bela Lugosi
Polly Ann Young
John Mcguire
Clarence Muse
Terry Walker
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
As wealthy Charles Kessler sits down to dinner, he speaks lovingly to the empty chair at the other end of the table as if his wife were sitting there. His daughter Virginia explains to her puzzled boyfriend, Ralph Dickson, that her mother left Kessler for his best friend several years ago, and her father always behaves this way on their wedding anniversary. Mrs. Kessler is actually nearby, however, having been rescued years before by Jules, the gardener, after she and her lover were in a car accident. Now mentally unbalanced, she is kept hidden on her husband's estate, her presence a secret to everyone except Jules and his wife, who suggests that Mrs. Kessler might have something to do with the rash of unsolved murders in the area. Later that night, Kessler sees his wife looking at him through the window, which causes him to go into a trance and murder Cecile Mannix, the maid. Cecile's body is discovered the next morning by the butler, Evans, who had overheard Cecile confronting Ralph about their past relationship the night before. When the police find a note from Ralph in Cecile's room, Ralph is convicted of her murder and, despite Kessler's and Virginia's pleas to the governor, executed. Soon thereafter, Ralph's brother Paul arrives, having recently returned from South America. Paul wants to look for the real murderer, and Kessler, who has no memory of his trance-induced actions, invites Paul to stay in his home. That night, Mrs. Kessler makes another appearance, and Kessler goes into a trance and murders Jules. The following night, the sight of his wife again sends Kessler into a murderous altered state, and he enters Virginia's room, advancing on his sleeping daughter until a lightning flash jolts him out of his trance. Shaken, he returns downstairs, and Mrs. Kessler appears again. The next morning, the household is shocked to discover that a portrait of Mrs. Kessler has been slashed. Kessler suggests that whoever defaced the portrait also committed the murders, but police detective Williams tells him that the police were stationed outside all night, and no one entered the house. The body of Ryan, one of the police officers, is then discovered behind the curtains. Meanwhile, Paul examines the portrait and notices a thread from Kessler's robe, and the robe is then found in Evans' room. The police are ready to arrest the butler for the murders, but Paul convinces them to bring in a psychiatrist to examine Evans first. While Evans is being questioned, the police find Mrs. Kessler stealing food from the kitchen and take her upstairs. At the sight of her, Kessler goes into a trance and begins to strangle Williams, but the trance suddenly ends when Mrs. Kessler dies. Kessler is shocked to learn that he is the murderer, and as the police lead him away, he bids farewell to his wife's portrait.
Director
Joseph H. Lewis
Cast
Bela Lugosi
Polly Ann Young
John Mcguire
Clarence Muse
Terry Walker
Betty Compson
Ernie Adams
George Pembroke
Ottola Nesmith
Fred Kelsey
Jack Mulhall
Crew
Glen Glenn
Robert Golden
Harvey Gould
Sam Katzman
Lange And Porter
Marcel Le Picard
Al Martin
Helen Martin
Pete Mayer
Fred Preble
Ed W. Rote
Edward M. Saeta
Harry Slott
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Murder by the Stars, Phantom Monster and The Phantom Killer, which was also the release title of an unrelated Monogram film released in 1942. According to a February 21, 1941 Hollywood Reporter news item, the film's story was inspired by the recent "suicide-murder" of General Walter G. Krivitsky. However, there is no similarity between the plot of this film and the life of Krivitsky, a former Soviet military intelligence officer who shot himself in a Washington, D.C. hotel room.
